REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Fred A. Wilson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Chris Slama, Interim Director of Community Services
Subject:
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Approve the City’s Park Playground Equipment Replacement Priority List
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Statement of Issue:
Based on a recommendation by the Playground Equipment & Park Maintenance Committee, the Community Services Commission has approved a playground equipment replacement priority list. City Council is being asked to approve the priority list based upon the Community Services Commission recommendation.
Financial Impact:
No specific funding source is being identified at this time. Funding sources will be identified through future budget processes, available grant funds or donations.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve the City’s park playground equipment replacement priority list, with an emphasis on playgrounds surfaced with a combination of rubberized material and sand whenever possible, and apply for applicable grants and other funding sources.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve the recommended action and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Currently, there are 77 parks in the City’s park system consisting of active, passive, and open space uses. Of the 77 parks, a total of 65 include tot lots with a total of 450 play units. Play units range from individual structures, group structures and/or swings. The play units are designed to meet all safety standards as established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and accessibility requirements per Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The life expectancy of play units per industry estimations is an average of 15 years. The Parks, Trees and Landscape (PTL) Division of Public Works inspects the units for safety on a regular basis and makes repairs when possible.
Within the past few years, several parks have received new units through grant funds, such as Harbour View and Newland Parks, which now have play units that are in good condition. Other parks such as Clegg-Stacey and Edison Parks have recently received new units due to the failing condition of the previous units. However, at remaining parks, many of the play units are coming to the end of their life expectancy and some units will no longer be able to be repaired.
The majority of parks received new equipment utilizing State Park bond funds with the last major replacement efforts occurring in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The replacements were completed as major projects and, in both cases, the equipment replacement was conducted based upon a priority ranking approved by the Commission. Due to the volume of parks and play units, the Community Services Commission (CSC) approved recommending review of a playground equipment inventory list to the Playground Equipment & Park Maintenance Committee (PE&PMC) at the October 11, 2017, CSC meeting.
The PE&PMC met several times to discuss PTL’s process on inspecting each park and the condition of the play equipment. The rating sheets from PTL’s inspections provided detailed information on which play equipment needs attention, whether or not the playground meets ADA requirements for access to the play equipment, as well as an overall rating of poor, fair, and good (Attachment 1).
Based on this information, the PE&PMC directed staff to create a priority list based on which parks did not meet ADA requirements, parks that are in poor condition, and parks that are of high-use. In an effort to control costs, the Committee recommended that partial rubber surfacing be installed when possible as opposed to full rubber surfacing at the playgrounds. The Committee felt that having partial sand and partial rubber surfacing allowed for different play options for park users. The PE&PMC also requested staff to provide an estimated cost breakdown for each park to include the cost of new rubber surfacing to meet ADA requirements, as well as the neighborhood park standard amenities: one swing set, one unit for the 2-5 year old age group, and one unit for the 5-12 year old age group. Committee members also toured a playground inspection with PTL to get a better understanding on the process and requirements for a playground to meet ADA standards.
At the September 27, 2018. PE&PMC meeting, staff presented to the committee a park playground equipment replacement priority list and packet that included information on each park’s condition and estimated cost breakdown for replacement (Attachments 2 and 3). Should new equipment and partial rubberized surfacing be installed at all 27 parks listed as priority, the total estimated cost would be $3,262,174. Please note that previous playground equipment replacement projects have been phased over several years based on availability of funds. Based on the information provided, the PE&PMC made the recommendation for Commission to approve the park playground equipment replacement priority list as presented.
Environmental Status:
The establishment of a park playground equipment replacement priority list is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, which exempts projects where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Enhance and maintain infrastructure
Attachment(s):
1. Park Playground Inventory List
2. Park Playground Equipment Replacement Priority List
3. Park Playground Information Sheets